what’s in a name?

We’ve now had eight months to think of a name for our baby (four months if you consider the fact that we didn’t really start thinking of names until we knew we were expecting a boy.) We decided long ago – before we ever got pregnant, actually – that we wouldn’t share the baby’s name until he or she was born.

We had (and still have) a few reasons for not sharing the name. NPR is doing a series called ‘The Baby Project’ and they touched on baby name hostility. I hadn’t really considered the hostility until I read their story (and heard podcasts about it.) People judge you when you’re expecting a child – and we’re guilty of judging others and the names they’ve chosen just because it’s a name we wouldn’t choose.

The biggest reason we’re not sharing McLittle’s real name yet is because we don’t want to face the judging. And the people trying to change our minds about his name.

I’ll be honest. The husband mentioned a name to a co-worker months ago, and her first reaction was, “then you can call him this or this. And have you considered “this” for his middle name?” (Insert nicknames and other names where “this” is mentioned.) It was annoying. And he quickly realized that our secret was best kept a secret.

Nobody knows the name – not my parents, best friends or blog readers, despite what some people might think. And most people have accepted the fact from day one that we’re not telling them until McLittle’s big day (you know, the day he’s born.) Unfortunately, we’re still on the receiving end of some of the baby name hostility. Surprisingly, there are still a few people who are upset over the fact that we aren’t giving any clues on his name.

There’s still time to change his name. Occasionally, we mention his name in the house, and it sometimes feels weird (though, this past week, it’s felt more natural.)

I don’t want my child nicknamed. The name we’ve chosen can be shortened, if you choose to shorten it, which we don’t plan on doing. And at the first mention of a nickname for him, as his parents we’ll be the first to correct that person. If he chooses to have a nickname later in life, that’s his right.

My husband has worked in the school system for ten years. Do you know how difficult it is to decide on a name that isn’t the name of a former bad student?

McLittle has a name. And it’ll be revealed soon enough. I’m confident that it won’t be difficult to transition into calling him by his real name, and when the time comes, I’ll even explain how we decided upon his name.

For now, though, he’s still McLittle. And that’s good enough.